Fighting computer addiction in kids
MANILA, Philippines – The computer may have made life easier and tasks faster. But like all good things, it can be abused and lead to addiction, especially in children.
They can be so obsessed with computers they no longer have room for ordinary routines in daily life. Computer addicts run the gamut of video and online game players, viewers of Internet pornography, people in chat rooms, those who always check their email, download music files, engage in illicit affairs through the Net, online gamblers and others.
Computer addiction brings mood swings, withdrawal from family and friends, sleep deprivation, poor eating habits and hygiene, wrist injury, back and neck aches, low grades, stealing, lying, poor attention span in school or at work, absenteeism, tardiness and a breakdown in relationships. Left unchecked, computer addiction can ruin the addict’s life.
Psychiatrist and expert on computer addiction Dr. Randy Dellosa says one can overcome computer addiction in children by encouraging them to have other interests and social activities; setting limits on computer use and understanding that the child might have underlying emotional problems which make him escape through computer addiction.
Dellosa holds office at the Life Change Recovery Center, a psychological therapy center with a short-term in-house program for overcoming computer addiction. Its telephone numbers are 415-6529 or 415-7964.
